A suspect was arrested on Sunday in connection with a fire at Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Vermont office that is being investigated as arson, NBC News reported, citing the Department of Justice.
Shant Soghomonian, 35, also known as Michael Soghomonian, previously of Northridge, California, was arrested on charges of using fire to damage a building in Burlington, Vermont, where an office for Sanders is located, the DOJ said in a press release.
Soghomonian allegedly entered the building on Friday morning and went to the third floor, where Sanders’ Burlington office is located, according to court records. Security video shows the suspect spraying a liquid near the outer door of the office before lighting the area with a hand-held lighter and a blaze beginning, according to the DOJ.
The fire damaged the outside of the door to Sanders’ office and surrounding areas and caused sprinklers in the building to discharge on multiple floors, the DOJ said. Multiple employees of Sanders were in the office at the time, but they were not physically injured during the incident.
Reached for comment, Sanders’ office pointed to his statement in response to the fire at his Vermont office.
“I am deeply grateful to the swift, professional, coordinated efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement in response to the fire at my Vermont office on Friday,” Sanders said in the statement. “I am also thankful that none of the many people who were in the office building at the time of the fire were injured.”
“I appreciate the outpouring of support and well-wishes for me and my staff,” he added. “We are proud to be able to continue to serve Vermonters during these challenging times.”
Soghomonian’s initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle has not yet been scheduled. He faces a penalty of five to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 if convicted.